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Don't be green, be yellow: Visiting the sights of the Simpsons' Icelandic adventure

You probably already know (unless you live in a cave) that Springfield’s most loved family, The Simpsons, recently took a trip to Iceland – well, Homer, Carl, Moe and Lenny did anyway – and it was full of the usual great shenanigans that we have all come to know and love, as well as some of Iceland and Reykjavík’s most popular sights and spots.

You probably already know (unless you live in a cave) that Springfield’s most loved family, The Simpsons, recently took a trip to Iceland – well, Homer, Carl, Moe and Lenny did anyway – and it was full of the usual great shenanigans that we have all come to know and love, as well as some of Iceland and Reykjavík’s most popular sights and spots.

SPOILER ALERT

The awesome episode, krúttly titled “The Saga of Carl”, shows Carl's Icelandic heritage, which was first made public earlier on in The Simpsons’ episode catalogue. In the show, Homer, Lenny, Carl and Moe's weekly lottery ticket bags them a tasty $200,000 which they agree to split four ways. So of course Homer, Lenny and Moe celebrate in the best way they know…with Duff beer. In the mean time, Carl goes to cash in the ticket and flees to his homeland, Iceland - let’s just assume he flew with WOW air – leading the rest of the yellow guys to embark on an adventure to the land of fire and ice to claim their share of the money.

Once Homer, Lenny and Moe arrive in Reykjavík, they find out that the Carlsons* have a shameful family history depicted in an Icelandic saga. They then manage to track down Carl at the Carlson family home (the Carlsons are probably in the phonebook – everyone is in the phonebook, even the real-life President of Iceland). The boys then learn that the reason Carl travelled to Iceland in the first place was to clear his family name by using the winnings to buy a lost page from the Saga that he believes would reveal his family as being brave warriors.

However, they learn to read Icelandic (which is an impressive feat to accomplish in a 20-minute episode) and discover that the long-lost page depicts the Carlson ancestors as being more cowardly and treacherous than was even previously thought - D’oh!Without going into much more detail (as we suggest you watch it yourself), along the way the gang visits some of the local sights, which you can easily see in person. Here’s a swift rundown of the sights AS SEEN ON THE SIMPSONS:

Hallgrímskirkja –Reykjavík’s famous Lutheran church was seen in the background during Homer, Lenny, and Moe’s speech. The church is located in the heart of the city and can be found at the top of Skólavörðustígur, one of Reykjavík’s most popular streets.

Blue Lagoon – At the end of the episode, the crew celebrates and relaxes in the soothing waters of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa after one-heck of a journey. The Blue Lagoon is super easy to find as it’s only roughly a forty-minute drive from Reykjavík.

Northern Lights – Homer, Lenny and Moe missed out seeing Iceland’s greatest spectacle, the Northern Lights, but you don’t have too. During the winter period, the Northern Lights can easily be spotted, depending on cloud cover. Numerous tour providers offer trips to catch the dancing lights away from the lights of the city.

Icelandic Wool Sweaters – The majority of the characters during the episode can be seen wearing various Icelandic wool sweaters called Lopapeysas. The yarn used is made from the wool of Icelandic sheep and contains both wind hairs and fleece, which makes the sweater not only water proof, but also incredibly well insulated - Lopapeysas can be bought across the country.

During the episode a few well-known Icelanders make cameo appearances, but you need to be eagle-eyed….some are extremely brief. Spotted along the way is the wonderfully eclectic songstress Björk; the now ex-Prime Minister of Iceland Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir; and the widely popular experimental band Sigur Rós. In fact, Sigur Rós scored original music for the episode, as well as the band’s beautiful take on The Simpsons’ theme tune, shown at the end of the episode – can it get any more Icelandic than that?

Fun fact #1: In Icelandic, Homer’s much-loved catchphrase “D’oh!” would be written “Dó!”Fun fact #2: You can purchase Duff beer in selected licensed-alcohol stores across the country – so you really can experience Iceland in true Simpsons style.

*A bit of artistic license here, as Icelanders us a patronymic naming system, as opposed to a family surname like Carlsons.